The Party
TEASER
INT.
SPIKE’S CRYPT – NIGHT
(SPIKE is standing over BUFFY, who is unconscious on the sarcophagus. He gently strokes her forehead as she regains consciousness)
SPIKE
Buffy. Buffy wake up love.
(BUFFY immediately bristles, remembering that she’d just been knocked out by Dru. She punches Spike, who reels back but manages not to fall. He jumps quickly in front of her, stopping her from leaving)
SPIKE
(CONT’D)
Buffy, you are not leaving until we talk about this.
BUFFY
You’ve said enough. I don’t want to hear anymore.
SPIKE
You can’t just ignore this. Whatever it is… it’s not going away.
BUFFY
You know, I came here hoping to talk rationally with you. I was almost sorry I was such a bitch earlier. And then go and…
SPIKE
That was Dru.
BUFFY
Where is the evil ho anyway? Out slaughtering a few innocents while you finish me off?
SPIKE
Maybe if you calmed down, you’d realise that if I’d wanted to kill you I’d have done it by now. Or I’d have let Dru do it.
(BUFFY opens her mouth to interrupt but SPIKE stops her)
SPIKE
(CONT’D)
She is chained up downstairs. You are free to go. But I’d rather we actually talked properly about this like you wanted. Please. Five minutes?
BUFFY
(SIGHING)
OK. Talk. You have five minutes to convince me not to stake the pair of you.
SPIKE
(MUTTERING)
I knew I should have chained you up too.
(BUFFY glares at him but moves to sit in the armchair)
BUFFY
You’re wasting time.
SPIKE
Fine. Look I’m sorry about Dru. Everything
just seems to have gone really badly today. I don’t know what happened.
BUFFY
(RELENTING A LITTLE)
Yeah I’m sorry too. For the things I said before. Not that I didn’t mean them, but…
SPIKE
(WITH A WRY SMILE)
Hell Summers. You sure know how to give an apology.
BUFFY
No, I… I mean… There are too many things in the way. Not just my friends or the fact that I’m the Slayer and you’re a soulless vampire. Things in me. Things I need to sort out before I can have a relationship with anyone.
SPIKE
(HOPEFULLY)
Could you…? Maybe…? In the future…?
BUFFY
(GETTING AGITATED)
NO! I don’t know. It’s not fair. It’s not fair for you to do this to me. I was fine. Everything was getting better, but I still had too much to handle and then you throw this at me. Well I can’t do it. I can’t handle this as well.
(She stops and stares at him, begging him with her eyes to understand)
BUFFY
(CONT’D)
Spike. I am so tired. There is so much going on in my life right now. My mom. Riley. Glory. Dawn. You are just one more thread of my life unravelling at an unbelievable rate. I usually know where I am with you. You’re the only constant I have left.
SPIKE
(SIGHING)
I am a constant Buffy. I have been here. I will be here. That’s never going to change. You know where you are with me.
BUFFY
No, I don’t. You’re changing. You said you love me. That’s different. That’s not Spike.
SPIKE
Yes it is. It’s just not something I’ve ever shared with you before. You scorn and scoff and hate me. If I had come to you months ago and told you the truth, you’d have laughed in my face. So I didn’t. I held back. I tried my best to help you, while trying to get closer to you, to see more of you, fighting at every turn against your complete contempt. And in the end, you dragged it out of me, laughed in my face and then ripped my heart out and stamped on it. The human way doesn’t work for you. The vampire way doesn’t work for you. What the hell does work Buffy?
(BUFFY looks a little ashamed of herself. He’s right as usual)
BUFFY
What do you suggest we do now?
SPIKE
(MOVING TOWARDS HER)
I don’t know. Will you accept my apology about what I did tonight and accept that there were circumstances?
(BUFFY nods as SPIKE kneels down in front of her)
SPIKE
Do you really hate me?
(BUFFY shakes her head and a small smile appears on her face at the vampire’s look of relief)
SPIKE
Well that’s a start. How about we try for friends? I’ll join the good guys and you’ll stop treating me like crap?
(BUFFY starts to laugh but nods affirmatively)
BUFFY
OK. (BUFFY holds out her hand and SPIKE shakes it). Friends.